Clutch release control for clicking machine



E. HAAS 2,749,414

CLUTCH RELEASE CONTROL FOR CLICKING MACHINE June 5, 1956 Filed Aug. 12,1952 INVENTOR. 506/12 HAAS AIfOR VEYJ United States Patent Schwabe, Inc,New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 12, 1952,Serial No. 303,903

8 Claims. (Cl. 200-157) This invention relates to clicking machines, andmore particularly to a clutch release control for the same.

Most clicking machines have a mechanical release. The handle is usuallyan upright handle which is round in horizontal section to facilitateswinging the cutting beam from side to side. The operator may throw thebeam fully aside while re-arranging the leather or other material on thecutting block, and then recapture the beam by seizing the handle. Oftenthe cutting operation is performed on the rebound, that is, the beam ismoved forcibly away, and the .die shifted on the material so fast thatas the beam comes back the operator is ready for the next cut. The workis usually piecework performed at high speed, and the operator thereforeprefers an upright round handle which is openly accessible from alldirections.

Most clicking machines 'have a mechanical release, and the handle ispushed down to release a one-revolution clutch for a single cuttingstroke. It has also been proposed to use an electrical release in whicha solenoid pulls the release of the single revolution clutch. Suchelectrical controls are shown in U. S. Patents 1,376,537 and 2,250,655.The first patent shows a pushbutton at the top of the handle, but thisis not good because the operator may simply push downward with the palmof his hand, and then as the beam moves-down it tends to leave his hand,thus permitting the button to release and again close as the beam rises,thus causing an accidental and undesired repeat cutting operation. Inthe second patent the switch contacts are operated by a verticalmovement of the handle relative to the beam, and this also has led todifficu'lty on occasion, when the operator fails to follow the downwardmovement of the beam with the handle.

The primary object of the present invention is to overcome the foregoingdifiiculties, and to provide a clutch release control which provides ahandle whichis upright and openly accessible to permit high speedoperation, much as in the case with a conventional handle, and yet whichprovides electrical control without the danger of unintended repeatoperation resulting from downward movement of the beam.

Ancillary objects are to provide a handle which may be mounted in theusual place on the beam, and which is adjusted for use with most if notall conventional clicker machines.

A further object of the invention is to provide a control which isactuated by the entire hand, and which is accordingly less tiring tooperate than would be the case with a button operated by a singlefinger. Still another object is to provide a control which combines withthe handle a switch which prevents a change in switch position in eitherdirection until near the end of the range of movement of the control.This again serves to prevent unintended -repeat operation of theclicking machine.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a safety switcharranged in series with the main switch, said safety switch being in theform of a large-area depressible 40 is preferably of a special type.

2,749,414 Patented June 5, 1956 knob or button mounted on the beam, andintended to be hit or pressed with the left hand while the main handleis held in the right hand, thus insuring that both hands have beenremoved from beneath the beam at the time-of the cutting operation.

To accomplish the foregoing general objects, and other more specificobjects which will hereinafter appear, my invention resides in theclutch release control elements, and their relation one to another, asare hereinafter more particularly described in the followingspecification. The specification is accompanied by a drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a typical clicking machine embodying theclutch release control of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of a preferred form of control handle;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken through the handle approximately inthe plane of the line 3--3 of Fig. 2, and shows the handle combined withthe switch actuated thereby, the side plate of the latter being removed;

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the control lever of the handle;

Fig. 5 is a partially sectioned plan view, the section being takenthrough the waist portion of the handle, and with the handle at anangle;

Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the switch with its side plate 1 removed;

Fig. 7 is a section similar to Fig. 3, but showing the changed positionof the parts after actuation of the switch;

and

Fig. 8 is a detail of the switch plunger.

Referring to the drawing, and more particularly to Fig. l, Ithere show agenerally conventional clicking machine comprising a wood cutting blockor work table 12 mounted beneath a vertically reciprocable clicking orcutting beam 14. The beam may be manually swung from side to side aboutthe vertical column 16, and is moved up and down under power in responseto operation of a main drive shaft through a single revolution clutchlocated at 18, the machine being driven by a motor, not shown, through abelt 20, which runs continuously. The clutch is released by a solenoidhoused at 22, and the power supply includes not only a master switch 24but series connected control switches at 26 and 28, the latter being anoptionally useable safety switch. The beam is swung by a handle 30 whichis also arranged to control the switch in box 26.

Referring now to Figs. 2, 3 and 7 of the drawing, the handle 30 is anupright handle of generally conventional type. It is round in horizontalsection, and is comparable to conventional handles in being openlyaccessible to receive a full-hand grip. It is located in conventionalfashion at the free end of the beam.

However, the handle differs from the usual handle in having a clutchcontrol lever 32 projecting radially therefrom, and movable into or outof the body of the handle 30. The lever 32 is preferably a plate-likemember, and in the present case is pivoted at 34. Because this pivot isat the lower end and near the rim of the handle, the lever functions asan angle lever, and provides a vertical movement at the heel 36. Thisvertical movement is used to actuate a switch therebelow, generallydesignated 40. By comparing Figs. 3 and 7 it will be seen that when thelever 32 is squeezed inward it is received almost fully within thehandle. The natural grip resulting from this encourages the operator tohold the lever in its inward position during the clicking operation, andthus avoids any tendency toward accidental repeat operation.

To further guard against repeat operation the switch Referring to Fig.6, the switch comprises a movable element '42 pivoted at 44 and havingmovable contacts which engage stationary contacts 46. The arm 42 may bemade of insulation. These are two spaced contacts at 46, which arebridged by mating contacts 48.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 7, the pivot or pin 44 of Fig. 6 extendsthrough a partition wall in the switch housing, and on the opposite sidecarries a tumbler 50. This tumbler may be tilted one way or the other bymeans of an actuator 52 which is pivoted at 54, and the movable end ofwhich carries a cam roller 56 which is spring pressed by means of acompression spring 58 (Fig. 3). It will be evident by comparison ofFigs. 3 and 7 that movement of the actuator 52 from one position to theother tilts the tumbler 50, the actuator being normally raised by avertical compression spring 60 (Fig. 7).

However, the tumbler additionally cooperates with upper and lowerdetents 62 and 64 which are themselves urged toward one another by smallcompression springs 66 and 68. When the tumbler is in the position shownin Fig. 3 it is locked there by the lower detent 64. When actuator 52 ispushed downward it cannot turn the tumbler, and instead the cam roller56 moves to the right and compresses the spring 58 (Fig. 3). However,when the actuator 52. is moved to nearly its lowermost position itengages the end of the detent 64 and moves it downward somewhat, therebyunlocking the tumbler and permitting the tumbler to abruptly change fromthe position of Fig. 3 to the position of Fig. 7. At this time the upperdetent 62 descends and engages the upper end of the tumbler, therebylocking it against return movement until after the actuator is moved allthe way up to the position shown in Pig. 3.

With this arrangement the switch will change only in response to asubstantially complete movement of the operating lever 31, which must bemoved almost all the way in to the flush position shown in Fig. 7 beforethe switch is closed, and which must be released for movement almost allthe way out to its limiting outward position shown in Fig. 3 before theswitch is again opened. It will be evident that with this arrangementthe danger of accidental repeat operation of the machine is minimized.

The outward movement of lever 32 may be limited in any desired fashion.This may be done by letting the toe bear against the subjacenthorizontal surface of the handle. In the present case I provide anadjustable stop screw 70, which has the advantage that wear can be takenup. The flared base 72 of the handle is preferably recessed or cut away,as shown at 74 in Figs. 2 and 5, to provide bearings 75 which facilitatemounting of the pivot pin 34 of lever 32. This pin 34 is threaded at oneend, and one of the bearings 75 is matingly,

threaded to receive the threaded end of the pin.

The vertical movement at the heel 36 of the lever may be transmitted tothe actuator 52 by means of a cylindical plunger '75. This plunger ispreferably located on the axis of the handle. It passes through a boss78 (Figs. 2 and 3) having a threaded end 80. This receives a nut 82(Figs. 3 and 7) for securing the handle tightly to the top wall 34 ofthe outer switch box. It will be understood that an outside metal box,only a part of which is shown at 84, may be provided to protectivelyhouse the inner insulation switch box 40, and to fixedly and stronglycarry the handle 30. The inner switch box 40 is secured to top wall 84by two long screws 86, which pass upwardly into metal top wall 84.

The switch mechanism itself includes a vertical plunger 8-8 which isdisposed on the inner side of the actuator arm 52. This plunger 88 has acircumferential groove 9-3 best shown in Fig. 8, and the said groovereceives the head 92 of a pin 94- passing through the actuator. It willthus be seen that vertical movement of plunger 88 is accompanied byoscillation of the actuator 52. The lower end of plunger 88 ispreferably hollowed as shown at 96 to receive and house the verticalcompression spring 60 previously referred to.

The handle 30 is so related to the switch 40 that the handle, itsplunger 76, and the plunger 88 of the switch are all in axial alignment.For convenience the intermediate plunger 76 is preferably madeadjustable in length. For this purpose it may be provided at one endwith a large fiat-headed screw 93, the adjustment of which may be lockedby means of a lock nut 100. Plungers 76 and 88 may be combined into one,if desired, in which case the screw 98 is located at the top.

The important advantage of the coaxial arrangement here used is that theorientation of the handle may be changed without affecting the switchoperation. More specifically, the direction of the lever 32, when viewedin plan, may be changed to suit the convenience or whim of the operatorof the machine. Thus in Fig. 5 it will be seen that the lever 32 isdisposed at an angle relative to the top plate 84 of the switch box. Ingeneral the lever 32 is disposed away from the operator toward theremote end of the beam, but a right-handed operator will usually preferthat the lever be turned somewhat toward the left, and a left-handedoperator will usually prefer that the lever be turned somewhat towardthe right. This helps avoid premature operation of the lever whenreaching for and swinging back the beam of the clicking machine after ithas been swung away.

To change the orientation of the lever it is merely necessary to removefour screws at the four corners of the top plate 84 (Fig. 5), thuspermitting removal of the assembly from the protective box 26 (Fig. 1),following I which the two long screws 86 may be released to permitseparation of the top plate 84 from the switch. This gives full accessto the large nut 82 which locks the handle on the cover plate, and byslightly loosening the nut the handle may be turned to any desiredangle, following which the nut is again tightened, and the partsreassembled. Regardless of the angle of the lever the operation of theswitch remains unchanged.

Indeed I have constructed this control in one form in which the handleis frictionally instead of positively secured, so that the angle may bechanged manually from the outside, but I prefer the present arrangementin which the handle is first adjusted to desired position, and thenlocked in that position.

In Figs. 2, 3 and 7 it will be noted that the upright lever 32 isshorter than the handle 30. In practice I prefer to make the lever 32long enough to receive a full-hand grip, but I additionally prefer tosomewhat lengthen or prolong the handle 30 to provide a handle portionof appreciable length above the upper end of the lever. This is for theconvenience of those operators who may prefer to initially seize theupper end only of the handle when swinging the beam, and to later changeIhClI grip to a lower position when operating the switch ever.

Reverting now to Fig. 1, the safety switch 28 may function,electrically, like an ordinary pushbutton, for only momentaryenergization of the clutch solenoid is needed to trip the clutch 18. Theswitch 28 is preferably connected in series with the switch 40, so thatboth switches must be closed simultaneously for at least an instant inorder to trip the clutch. Switch 28 is not essential but is desirablefor safety purposes, for in operation it becomes necessary to press orhit switch 28 while still holding the handle 30 to close the switch inbox 26, thereby insuring that both hands have been removed from beneaththe cutting beam. For this purpose the button or actuator of switch 28is preferably a large, convexly shaped knob which is readily and quicklyhit with the left hand, without excessively interfering with the normalwork procedure of the operator. The cutting response of the machine isso immediate and instantaneous that there is no possibility of movingthe left hand back beneath the beam before or during the ensuing cuttingoperation.

It is believed that the construction and operation of my improved clutchrelease control for clicking machines, as well as the many advantagesthe will be apparent from the foregoing detailed'de'scrip It will alsobe apparent that while I have" shown and described my in vention in apreferred form, changes ay be made in the structure shown withoutdeparting f "the scope of the invention, as soughtt'obe defined in efollowing claims.

1. A clutch release control for the swinging cutting beam of a clickingmachine, said control comprising an upwardly projecting generallyupright handle which is round in horizontal section and comparable toconventional clicking machine handles in being openly accessible fromabove to receive a full-hand grip, said handle having a generallyupright clutch control lever projecting Iadially therefrom and movableinto or out of the body of the handle, said lever being pivoted at itslower end near the rim of the handle and functioning as an angle leverto provide a vertical movement axially of the handle beneath the handle,and an electrical switch disposed beneath the handle for operation bythe resulting vertical movement.

2. A clutch release control for a clicking machine, said controlcomprising a generally upright handle which is round in horizontalsection and comparable to conventional handles in being openlyaccessible to receive a full-hand grip, said handle having a generallyupright clutch control lever projecting radially therefrom and movableinto or out of the body of the handle, said lever being pivoted at itslower end near the rim of the handle and functioning as an angle leverto provide a vertical movement axially of the handle beneath the handle,and an electrical switch disposed beneath the handle for operation bythe resulting vertical movement, the lower end of said handle having aconcentric bushing slidably receiving a vertical plunger on the axis ofthe handle, said angle lever being somewhat boot shaped with the pivotat the toe of the boot, and with the heel over the upper end of saidplunger, the lower end of said plunger serving to operate the switch,the arrangement being such that the handle may be oriented about itsvertical axis to direct the lever in a desired direction convenient tothe operator, without affecting the operation of the switch.

3. A clutch release control for a clicking machine, said controlcomprising a generally upright handle of generally conventional typemounted on the free end of the clicker beam in generally conventionallocation, and an electrical switch arranged to be operated by saidhandle, said switch comprising a pivoted movable switch element and snaplock mechanism including a tumbler movable with said element, anactuator between said handle and said tumbler, and a spaced pair ofdetent levers for holding said tumbler against movement until after theactuator has been moved almost all of its stroke, at which time theactuator releases the detent and thereby permits abrupt movement of thetumbler and movable switch element.

4. A clutch release control for a clicking machine, said controlcomprising a generally upright handle which is round in horizontalsection and comparable to conventional handles in being openlyaccessible to receive a full-hand grip, said handle having a generallyupright clutch control lever projecting radially therefrom and movableinto or out of the body of the handle, and an electrical switch disposedfor operation by the resulting movement of the lever, said switchcomprising a pivoted movable switch element and snap lock mechanismincluding a tumbler movable with said element, an actuator between saidlever and said tumbler, and a spaced pair of detent levers for holdingsaid tumbler against movement until after the actuator has been movedalmost all of its stroke, at which time the actuator releases the detentand thereby permits abrupt movement of the tumbler and movable switchelement.

5. A clutch release control for the swinging cutting beam of 'a clickingmachine,'said'control comprisingan upwardly projecting generally uprighthandle which is round in horizontal section and comparable .to conventional clicking machine handles in being openly accessible from above toreceive a full-hand grip, said handle having a generally upright clutchcontrol lever projecting radially therefrom and movable into or out ofthe body of the handle, said lever being substantial in length butterminati'ng at is upperend a substantial distance below the top of thehandle, and an electrical switch disposed beneath the handle foroperation by the resulting move ment, said switch comprising a pivotedmovable switch element and snap lock mechanism including a tumblermovable with said element, an actuator between said lever and saidtumbler, and a spaced pair of detent levers for holding said tumbleragainst movement until after the actuator has been moved almost all ofits stroke, at which time the actuator releases the detent and therebypermits abrupt movement of the tumbler and movable switch element.

6. A clutch release control for a clicking machine, said controlcomprising a generally upright handle which is round in horizontalsection and comparable to conventional handles in being openlyaccessible to receive a fullhand grip, said handle having a generallyupright clutch control lever projecting radially therefrom and movableinto or out of the body of the handle, said lever being pivoted at itslower end near the rim of the handle and functioning as an angle leverto provide a vertical movement axially of the handle beneath the handle,and an electrical switch disposed beneath the handle for operation bythe resulting vertical movement, said switch comprising a pivotedmovable switch element and snap lock mechanism including a tumblermovable with said element, an actuator between said lever and saidtumbler, and a spaced pair of detent levers for holding aid tumbleragainst movement until after the actuator has been moved almost all ofits stroke, at which time the actuator releases the detent and therebypermits abrupt movement of the tumbler and movable switch element.

7. A clutch release control for a clicking machine, said controlcomprising a generally upright handle which is round in horizontalsection and comparable to conventional handles in being openlyaccessible to receive a fullhand grip, said handle having a generallyupright clutch control lever projecting radially therefrom and movableinto or out of the body of the handle, said lever being pivoted at itslower end near the rim of the handle and functioning as an angle leverto provide a vertical movement axially of the handle beneath the handle,and an electrical switch disposed beneath the handle for operation bythe resulting vertical movement, said switch comprising a pivotedmovable switch element and snap lock mechanism including a tumblermovable with said ele ment, an actuator between said lever and saidtumbler, and a spaced pair of detent levers for holding said tumbleragainst movement until after the actuator has been moved almost all ofits stroke, at which time the actuator releases the detent and therebypermits abrupt movement of the tumbler and movable switch element, thelower end of said handle having a concentric bushing slidably receivinga vertical plunger on the axis of the handle, said angle lever beingsomewhat boot shaped with the pivot at the toe of the boot, and with theheel over the upper end of said plunger, the lower end of said plungerserving to operate the switch, the arrangement being such that thehandle may be oriented about its vertical axis to direct the lever in adesired direction convenient to the operator, without afiecting theoperation of the switch.

8. A clutch release control for the swinging cutting beam of a clickingmachine, said control comprising an upwardly projecting generallyupright handle which is round in horizontal section and comparable toconventional clicking machine handles in being openly accessible fromabove to receive a full-hand grip, said handle having a generallyupright clutch control lever projecting radially therefrom and beingmovable into or out of the body of the handle, said lever beingsubstantial in length but terminating at its upper end so far below thetop of the handle as to provide a useable handle portion above the upperend of the lever which may be grasped above the lever to swing thecutting beam without operating the lever, and an electrical switchdisposed beneath the handle for operation by movement of the clutchcontrol lever.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

